The Australian and New Zealand fitness and leisure landscape continues to evolve, driven by shifting age demographics and changing attitudes toward health and wellbeing.
Understanding these emerging trends helps leisure managers keep up with member and facility visitor expectations, making it easier to provide services to match their needs.
We’ve explored four of the most interesting fitness trends set to shape 2026 and packaged them up below.
Fitness programs for older adults
Fitness programs tailored to seniors have claimed the top position for the second year running in AUSactive’s Top 20 Australian Fitness Trends for 2025-26 survey, reflecting Australia’s ageing population and seniors’ determination to support their health with active lifestyles.
In a recent article by Australian Ageing Agenda magazine, AUSactive CEO Ken Griffin said older Australians were “ageing stronger”, with a shift to low-impact, strength and wellness-focused exercise allowing them to stay mobile for longer and maintain their independence.
A report released in November 2025 by the Australian Sports Commission confirmed that the top organised sports for Australians over 65 were golf, bowls, tennis, swimming and martial arts – noting that these are all sports that can be played as an individual.
Meeting older adults’ needs with specialised swimming sessions, tennis training or leagues tailored to older demographics, as well as low-impact yoga, tai chi and Pilates classes might all be good options to tap into this demand and offer opportunities for seniors to engage.
Exercise for mental health
Exercise for mental health is increasingly recognised as an essential element of overall wellness, rather than just an optional extra, with AUSactive’s fitness trends survey, placing it at number three in its top-20 list.
You could address this trend at your facility by embedding mental-wellness messaging into your program descriptions for all kinds of group fitness sessions, rather than only in the descriptions for sessions traditionally associated with mindfulness, such as yoga, tai chi or meditation. Emphasising the value of group sessions to promote social connection and combat isolation could also be a positive move.
Far from just being a place for people to simply improve their physical health, you could consider positioning your facility as a mental-health support hub, where people increase their ability to tackle the ups and downs of life by becoming physically and psychologically strong.
Traditional strength training
While new fitness trends emerge each year, traditional strength training remains a cornerstone of an effective fitness regime and is experiencing renewed appreciation among exercisers of all ages – putting it at number four on AUSactive’s list.
Traditional strength training involves progressive overload using free weights, resistance machines or body-weight exercises to catalyse muscle development. Whether building strength for daily activities, managing chronic conditions or pursuing athletic performance, traditional strength training punches above its weight.
For older adults, strength training is crucial, with one in five Australians over 60 at significant risk of falls, fractures and chronic diseases due to declining muscle mass.
Facilities can capitalise on this trend by stocking a range of strength-building equipment, offering introductory programs that teach proper lifting techniques, and providing structured personal progression plans. Also consider adding beginner-friendly strength classes specifically for older adults or people new to this type of training.
New bats on the block: Pickleball and padel
The word on the court is that pickleball and padel are “among the fastest growing sports in Australia”, according to an AusPlay media release announcing the findings of its November 2025 Lifelong involvement in sport report, with popularity booming in New Zealand as well.
These highly-accessible games attract players who might not be keen on running around an entire tennis court but can easily grab a paddle and hold a rally straight away – regardless of age or ability – with registered players in Australia ranging from eight to 90 years of age.
Pickleball especially has been experiencing massive growth in Australia since 2015, with more than 155,000 of its residents playing casually, leading it to be labelled Australia’s fastest growing sport in 2024.
Even the venerable Australian Open made space for the game in 2025, hosting an inaugural Pickleball Slam on the last weekend of the Grand Slam tournament and luring in major players with US$100,000 in prize money.
Smart facilities are repurposing spaces for paddle play. Any space with a hard floor can be turned into a pickleball court with portable nets and court lines – one tennis court can be converted into four pickleball courts for example. Envibe’s savvy leisure management software makes it easy to manage it all.
Ride the wave and position yourself for 2026
These four trends demonstrate that fitness in 2026 will be about much more than simply improving physical appearance or the ability to perform just one type of exercise at a high level.
It’s worth noting that Pilates claimed the number two spot in AUSactive’s survey – continuing an upswing that we covered last year in our Five fitness trends set to shape the future in 2024 article. The continued popularity of Pilates and traditional strength training shows that both innovative and established approaches have their place in the program of a modern leisure facility.
Embracing these trends by serving senior members with targeted programs, promoting mental health benefits across various activities, offering quality strength-training equipment, and accommodating emerging sports like pickleball put facilities in a good position to satisfy members’ needs.
The time to start planning is now. Assess which trends align with your community’s demographics, then develop strategies to implement relevant programs while harnessing Envibe’s leisure-management expertise to take care of the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
